The STAAR EOC: Reading subject focuses on the essential reading skills required for high school students in Texas to succeed in their End-of-Course assessments.
Being able to identify the main idea of a text is like finding the heart of the story or article. The main idea tells you what the passage is mostly about, while supporting details are the pieces of evidence, examples, and explanations that help prove or illustrate the main idea.
Supporting details are the reasons, facts, or descriptions that strengthen the main idea. Without them, the main idea would be just a claim with no backup!
Try reading a short article and summarizing the main idea in one sentence. Then, list the details that helped you figure it out.
Whether reading a news article, a social media post, or a school textbook, identifying the main idea helps you understand information quickly and remember it better.
Reading a news article about recycling, the main idea might be that recycling helps protect the environment, with supporting details about how it reduces waste and saves energy.
In a story, the main idea could be about friendship, with supporting details shown through characters helping each other.
Find the central message and the details that support it in any reading passage.